It’s been a while hasn’t it? I know. Don’t worry, I won’t do the apologetic speech (which if you notice, is the first paragraph of most of my posts). 2014 was a tough year, not bad but tough and blogging was unfortunately not a priority… However I have many exciting ideas for 2015; which are probably not all going to be successfully accomplished but there is no harm in setting positive intentions, right?

This whole “new year, new you” theology, set to inspire us to become better versions of ourselves. But is it really beneficial or does it generate an inner frustration and negative mentality which is constantly reminding you that “you’re just not good enough”? Throughout this past month, my (lack of) organisation skills have exceeded expectations and today I realised something, I’d never previously discussed – we were not made to follow a pattern. We are often so caught up in the way we look, that we tend to forget about the way we feel and end up applying an unnecessary pressure to our already hectic lifestyles. If it’s all already so complex, why start new projects?

There will be time for all these worries to become useful, but the first few months of the year might not be the best ones. Specially if you are currently wearing more than 2 layers… Of course we want to be more productive, happy and healthy but no one can truly accomplish these things if we only think about the things we DON’T actually do. Have you recently stopped to think about all those amazing things you already do everyday? I know they just seem like the “norm” but trust me, you already do so much!

Nonetheless, I don’t think there is anything wrong with trying out new things, new habits and introducing new ideas to our lifestyles. It can be something as small as finishing a book, or as big as running a marathon. But if you are anything like me, why not restart all those projects you started last year but never managed to finish? Remember – you are in control!

We have a whole 327 days to make of 2015 a year where we have control over our own lives (weird, right?). Just don’t forget, one day at a time.

Hopefully by now you’ll have watched my introductory video on this new project (About Time). Fortunately, many people like me and you really want to help but just don’t know how and as we are discovering ways to help each other, together as a community, I thought it would be only fair for me to share my ideas of ways to help with you!

When I started this project, and figured out that WE CAN HELP, I realised that there are sooooooo many beautiful charities out there doing their best as community to help those in need. By many, trust me I mean MANY! All the ones I came across really inspired me, each of them in their own different way (which is what makes each one of them so unique and marvellous) and I really do want to share each and every one of them with you, but we have to start somewhere. So here goes…

The Trussell Trust ! They are pretty amazing and their work is just incredible! Summarising their aim in few words would be very hard (as they do so many nice things). However, it won’t hurt to try. I found out about the Trussell Trust by my mum, as once I desperately went crying to her saying that I neeeeeeeeeded to help people somehow but I didn’t know what to do, so she mentioned loads of charities (which will be mentioned in the following weeks) and the Trussell Trust was one of them – she has come across Trussell Trust through a Guardian article and has been supporting them since.

Enough of me rambling away (I get overly excited and can’t stop typing). Their logo is “restoring dignity and reviving hope” and the most amazing thing is that their work varies from offering a basic food basket to a family deeply in need, to having food banks scattered all around the UK. They make sure that the people they do manage help, don’t go to bed hungry.

However we are all very aware that, unfortunately, money has a huge impact on the way the world goes around – some of us have more than others and that is just how it works. On the other hand, I believe that if we have enough to spare it is only fair to help the less fortunate. This why I built a Just Giving page to try to raise as much money as possible for the Trussell Trust. Another great thing about this charity is that, if you live in the UK, you can always donate those spare bits and pieces inside your cupboards to your local food bank , or you can just do your own thing. Whichever way don’t worry if you can’t do anything, that is okay as well, because just the thought that you are willing to help already means a lot!

Thank you very much for reading this post and I hope it has inspired you to help a nobel cause, in your own way. Come on Hypestar, it’s time to shine – be a star!

Much love,

Malu

]]>https://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2014/08/17/how-can-we-help-the-trussell-trust/feed/0hypelooksAbout Time…https://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2014/07/29/about-time/
https://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2014/07/29/about-time/#commentsTue, 29 Jul 2014 16:15:17 +0000http://hypelooks.com/?p=418Today we live in a world where an ignorance cycle seems to be continuous among us; a world where there seems to be no more love, no more empathy.

Things are not okay and they haven’t been okay for a very long time! But it is about time we change, it is about time we help each other and it is about time we gather as society in order to help humanity.

I’m aware that I’m only a small person compared to all the huge organisations that are doing their best to help. But if things are still bad with so many people already involved in order to help, it is only fair that I do my bit as well, right? Yes, but I can’t do it alone.

Just like big organisations need thousands of people willing to donate, we need to come together as a society to help the world that we live in. We need to forget our differences and come together as one.

Imagine what an amazing place the world would be if everyone was entitled to be happy. Pretty cool, right? But what if I told you that it is possible? Hear me out, I’m not saying that it will be easy because the world didn’t become the way it is today overnight, it is a process. A process I’m willing to take part in, what about you?

I believe in us. I believe that we can change, I believe we can help. Please don’t feel forced to do anything that doesn’t feel like the right thing to do, after all what is the point of doing something you don’t strongly believe in? You don’t need to do anything big, you don’t actually need to do anything but wouldn’t it be great to do something?

It can be something really small or something very big but just the fact that you’ve read this post and watched this video already means a lot!

If you do want to help, here are somethings we can all get involved in:

Helping out at a food bank near you

Taking part on a sponsored activity

Organizing a fundraising event

And the list goes on but I won’t bore you any longer. This post has been an introduction to a project tackling many important issues that have simply been ignored for a very long time, but not anymore! In the following weeks more posts like this one will be uploaded to the blog and hopefully we will together renovate a generation that has been said to be lost.

Thank you very much for hearing me out and hopefully this post has inspired you somehow to do something, one day.

As some of you who follow me around the social media might already know, I went natural! For many it is something easy and uncomplicated however for others it might demand a little bit more time. My personal opinion about it is: It’s your original form, so be proud of it!

So why did I decide to change and why wasn’t I “natural” before:

Well for most of my lifetime I’ve had a few battles with my hair. I had my hair relaxed for about 3 years it was all nice and fun but after one month I would need to be relaxing it again and that not only really damaged my hair but it also made my scalp quite sensitive (so if you ask me, “Malu should I relax my hair?” my answer will be “What did your hair do to you that you want to cause it so much harm?”).

Although many girls and women out there feel the need to have long hair to be feminine, relaxing is not the way forward in my very personal opinion. It really is only a short term solution and the only long term outcome is a big, damaged and unhealthy hair. Believe me when I say that ” I know how you feel!” because some days I will just wake up crying and asking myself if going natural is really worth it’s drama!

Before I decided that I would go totally natural braids was my go to and the only two possibilities inside my head were: relax it or braid it! So that’s what I did, for exactly one year (January 2013 to January 2014) I didn’t need to worry about my hair for 3 months (but when those 3 months “expired”, the pain would come with no mercy). It was long and pretty but there was one very small problem, it wasn’t mine. The fact that the hair did not belong to me made me quite depressed and as a 14 year old teenager everything does get “a bit” amplified.

Trying to take the best out of being a drama queen and a teenager, I spoke to my mum and said something like “Mum this hair does not represent me, I don’t look like ‘Malu’ any more!”. So we agreed to take my braids off. So we took them off, I washed, conditioned and trimmed it and it actually looked good, for one of the first times in my life I felt like me!

Of course it wasn’t easy, but all it takes is a bit of care! As I felt on my own skin that natural black hair needs a lot of care (did you see how that totally rhymed? I feel so awesome right now!) I’m going to start a column on the blog about taking care of natural hair, everything we should know about transitioning and all those things that I believe we deserve to know. So stick around, because more posts like this will come along really soon!

PS. I know I haven’t posted much for quite a while but life has been a bit busy, however don’t worry because #MaluIsBack!

I know, I know I have been horrible and not posting anything for over a month BUT today I came here to tell you guys something ultra-cool that is happening this week!

So, let’s get to work then! My step-dad is part of this band called “Lorna” (pretty cool right?) and they are playing in Nottingham this week on the 3rd of May at The Bodega. It is going to be their Album Launch (Heart of Wire) and I thought that you Hypestars had the right to know that this was going on! Hopefully if any of you live around Nottingham you can come!

In the other hand if you can’t come maybe because you don’t live near or you are just too busy. I thought you should know a bit more about the band and that none of the members have the band as their only job, they all have their own jobs and take it more as a hobby which makes it pretty cool for the amount of recognition they have. Click here to see a bit more about the band and hear some of their songs (believe me you won’t regret).

Hope you guys enjoyed this “Sound Hype” post, and hopefully I’ll see some of you there!

PS. For more information about the concert just like their page on Facebookand ask anything there!

Hey HypeStars! So today I came here to show you guys my nail polish pick for this week. I know I haven’t posted anything for ageees but don’t worry because from now on you are going to get tired of seeing my post (Haha’)!

Anyway… If you follow me on my Instagram this week I choose a very girly and pretty colour, pink! I absolutely love it and it had been ages since I didn’t use any pink nail polish at all!

So the name is “Puro Glamour” by Colorama (Brazilian Nail Polish Brand). I absolutely loved and I hope you guys liked it too!

PS. First time I’m actually proud of doing my own nails!

Beeijo

Malu

Xxx

]]>https://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/hypenails/feed/0hypelooksIMG_20130324_215304.jpgIMG_20130324_215050.jpgNew Tutorial: Sobrancelhas | Eyebrowshttps://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/new-tutorial-sobrancelhas-eyebrows/
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]]>https://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/new-tutorial-sobrancelhas-eyebrows/feed/0hypelooksWhy is Love such a Secret?https://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/why-is-love-such-a-secret/
https://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/why-is-love-such-a-secret/#respondWed, 20 Feb 2013 11:29:21 +0000http://hypelooks.com/?p=350Hello Hype Lookers,Today I came here to talk about something VERY delicate which is this thing that people like to name “Love”!Yes I know we all had our crushes and believe me I had many, many crushes but the worst thing is that every time I like someone I don’t only “like someone” I “fall in love” with people! The only thing I don’t understand is: Why do we love so much?I’m not talking about loving our family, friends or anything like that! I actually mean that kind of love that has the following symptoms!

BUTTERFLIES ON YOUR BELLY

KNEES START TO THINK THEY ARE PEOPLE...

If you think that any of the options just described what you are feeling,go and find help girlfriend because falling in love is a horrible route!But now back to my main question for today’s post: Why do we fall in love? Why do we need to love so much? I really have no idea why!Because right now, while writing this post the only thing I can think of is that special someone, the guy that I think about day and night, the reason why I wake up and go to school every morning (Ok, probably a little bit too far), but definitely the one that I wish would spend the rest of my days next to me!What about you Hype Lookers? Who was that special someone that you couldn’t get out of your mind while reading this post? Who is the lucky guy?Hope you all enjoyed this “Hype Love” kind of post and hopefully identified yourself. Now to end this post because I am still on the Valentine’s Day Mood look what my “Secret Lover” sent to me on Valentine’s Day, my only question is “Who is it?”Beeijo Malu, Xxx
]]>https://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/why-is-love-such-a-secret/feed/0hypelooksKNEESNew Tutorial: Pratica é Básico!!https://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/new-tutorial-pratica-e-basico/
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]]>https://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/new-tutorial-pratica-e-basico/feed/0hypelooks“Back To Life, Back To Reality”https://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/back-to-life-back-to-reality/
https://hypelooks.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/back-to-life-back-to-reality/#respondSun, 13 Jan 2013 19:40:36 +0000http://hypelooks.com/?p=339Hello Hypestars!

So how has your new year been so far? I can speak for myself that mine has been VERY lazy, just managed to actually sit down and talk to you! But as I always say: “New year, New life!” I know we are not gonna have a “New Life” but definitely a better life!

My resolutions are really simple and probably the same as many of you but what about our Fashion Resolutions? Yeah, I just said Fashion Resolutions and believe it or not there are! So let’s get to work Hypestars…

Resolution Nº 1 –

Think about what we wear LESS! Yeah! You don’t need to think about what you wear always, specially on the special dates I always think too much and end up regretting the clothes that I choose and feel like the first choice was always the best one!

Resolution Nº2 –

Don’t ask for opinion of people who “don’t get your style” they will always think that you are wrong and they are right. Yes, I’m talking about our moms, we love them but specially when we are on those teen years, (like me!) we have a total different opinion then them! In a few years time it might be a different story but you never know…

Resolution Nº3 –

Be you baby! Nothing will work out if you are not you! Specially if you are trying to get a new you out of your soul but as we would say in Brazil “You need to wear the shirt”. I know it sounds a little bit odd but believe me, it sounds a lot better in portuguese.

So that is pretty much it for our resolutions I know you probably thought that I would do 13 as it is 2013 but no… If you think you know the other 10 resolutions just write a comment of the perfect Fashion Resolution that represents you!